


Family Is What You Make It

by Leonardo_Charles_BlueWood_21



Category: LEGO Monkie Kid
Genre: AND COOL AS HECK I'VE NEVER BEEN PART OF THE FIRST WAVE BEFORE, Aight just gonna post this and run lol lsakdfmasdf, And Pigsy taking care of people lskadfmds, But he's okay I swear it's only a little crying, Crying, Family Fluff, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Hugs, Light Angst, Look they both really care about MK dlkmfasdf, MK gets yelled at by a customer, No beta we die like Monkey's, Noodles at late hours of the night, Pigsy has no idea how to show affection but he's working on it lksadfmsd, Pigsy just keeps adopting people wow slakdfmawoief, Protective Mei, Protective Pigsy, Sleeping Bags, Tagging characters for a fandom that's just barely getting started is a nightmare lskdfmasdf, Takes place pre-show so before the first episode aslkdfmasdf, Tang's smug for half the fic LOL, but mostly just fluff, dslkfadsf, enjoy, how do tag??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:20:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27017185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leonardo_Charles_BlueWood_21/pseuds/Leonardo_Charles_BlueWood_21
Summary: Pigsy was too nice. A big softie, really, as much as he hated to admit it. The evidence that supported such a conclusion came from the fact that, despite his threats and general overall annoyance towards the man, he still hadn’t kicked Tang out of his shop yet.OrPigsy's a softie and a really kind person, he just doesn't quite know how to show it, but he does alright.
Relationships: Pigsy & MK | Qi Xiaotian (LEGO Monkie Kid), Pigsy & Mei | Long Xiaojiao (LEGO Monkie Kid), Pigsy & Tang (LEGO Monkie Kid)
Comments: 56
Kudos: 133





	Family Is What You Make It

Pigsy was too nice. 

A big softie, really, as much as he hated to admit it. The evidence that supported such a conclusion came from the fact that, despite his threats and general overall annoyance towards the man, he still hadn’t kicked Tang out of his shop yet. 

Sure, he’d smacked him with a wooden spoon when he’d put his grimy fingers anywhere near the food he was making, but he didn’t banish him like he could have, and Tang knew it, if the unphased smirk on his face whenever Pigsy threatened to throw him out was anything to go by.

Not to say he wouldn’t literally pick up and _throw_ whoever caused a real disturbance in his shop. The first time Tang had seen him launch a guy onto the street he had looked shocked and then unbearably smug, probably realizing that Pigsy could have done that to _him_ the whole time and _hadn’t_. He’d been completely insufferable since then, but Pigsy still hadn’t told him to get lost. 

He made it even worse for himself when he found Tang sitting in his usual spot, about a year after he’d started coming to the shop, looking ruffled and stressed, dark circles under his eyes and a miniscule shake to his hands that he wouldn’t have noticed if he hadn’t been looking for it. Pigsy had waited until it was closing time to flip the sign on his door to _closed_ then plopped down across from him, folding his arms, to ask him what was wrong. It took a minute, but he finally got out of him that he’d lost his apartment and didn’t have anywhere to stay. So of course, an hour later Tang was standing in _Pigsy’s_ apartment with a sleeping bag shoved into his arms and a gruff order not to touch anything. 

Yeah. 

  
A big ol’ softie. 

Pigsy sighed, scrubbing his hand down his face as he finished locking up and closing the shop for the night. At least his business was starting to do better so he could afford to be a softie. Though it was getting tougher to run the place by himself, it wasn’t nearly busy enough that he _could_ hire help yet unfortunately. He supposed he could have had Tang start working there as a way to pay rent for living in his apartment, but he really didn’t want that man anywhere near his noodles. He’d probably just end up eating them all. 

The sky was already dark as he started towards home; streets lit by the lights from signs and street lamps. Somehow the city seemed brighter at night than in the day. He trudged up the sidewalk, cars speeding past him down the hill as he went. The trek to his apartment wasn’t very long, but the winding roads and ups and downs of hills and dips in the road sure made it feel like it was. Still, he didn’t mind the walk so much, it gave him time to think without anything pressing on him. You couldn’t do much while walking, so he didn’t feel as though he were wasting time. 

This particular evening his feet seemed a little heavier than usual and exhaustion tugged on his limbs. 

It had been a rough day, he would admit to that much. The shipment of ingredients that he had ordered had come in late so he’d had to temporarily close the store to run to the market and get enough to last him through the day. The prices were a lot higher than if he simply ordered them, but he couldn’t afford to close the shop, every moment counted. He’d just have to cut down expenses in some other area--he could figure that out later. 

There wasn’t actually enough of the particular spices he needed, so he ended up driving halfway across the city to someplace more expensive to get what he needed. It had just rained the previous evening and, due to some maniacs driving over the speed limit, Pigsy ended up getting splashed three times; he was thoroughly soaked by the time he returned to his restaurant. His purchases hadn’t survived the splash zone either so he couldn’t even use half of what he’d bought, and he certainly didn’t have enough cash set aside for more, so he salvaged what he could; enough to last him through the day like he’d hoped, if he was lucky. 

It felt busier than usual somehow--which was good, he wanted more customers, it was just bad for this particular day--and he was practically running around the restaurant to make sure everyone got their orders. His only solace was that Tang wasn’t there to distract him--off doing whatever he did in his free time when he wasn’t harassing Pigsy. The shop was louder than usual, but somehow felt quieter without him there. 

A couple rowdy groups had come in towards evening time and he’d had to kick several people out, playing bouncer, chef _and_ waiter at the same time. Pigsy could handle a lot, but by the time it was closing time he was pretty burnt out and more than ready to fall into bed and sleep like the dead until the next morning, which was exactly what he was headed home to do--so long as Tang didn’t plan on pestering him when he got back. 

It seemed, however, that the universe had different plans. 

Honestly, if he wasn’t walking so slow, he wouldn’t have seen it; any other night and he would have missed it completely. 

As fate would have it though, his eyes landed directly on the person sitting in the alleyway to his left. They were curled up, back against the wall and knees pulled up to their chest, arms folded atop their knees and head resting against their arms. 

Honestly, Pigsy almost kept walking, but something stopped him. 

He paused at the entrance of the alley, mulling it over for a moment before giving in with a sigh. 

“Hey,” he called to get their attention. 

The figure’s head shot up, the sound of his voice seeming to have startled them. They snapped to look at him, shoulders tense, with wide eyes and Pigsy was hit by a familiar face and unmistakable spikey head of hair, tied back by a red headband like a slap to the face. When the boy’s gaze landed on him, the tension drained out of his shoulders and he looked almost relieved before waving with a smile. “Oh, hi, Pigsy.” 

Pigsy stared, unsure of how to react. 

MK. Young kid. Loud, friendly, genuine; came to his shop once every week with exactly three dollars and seventy-three cents in change to buy a small bowl of noodles, staying just long enough to eat and wave like an absolute maniac as he left. A lot of people came into his shop pretty regularly, but MK was hard to forget with his loud voice and even louder personality. He was always patient with his order, polite and happy to see Pigsy like they’d known each other for years despite the fact the kid had only been coming to the noodle shop for a month or two.

He didn’t know much about the kid other than his noodle order, favourite colour and shoe size, randomly enough. The kid had burst inside announcing it one morning and it was a hard thing to forget; eight and a half. Pigsy’s own feet were a size nine--but that wasn’t relevant. The point was, MK didn’t exactly seem like the kind of kid who would be sitting in an alley in the dead of night. 

He glanced down the street to his left then right, almost expecting to see something that would tell him why the kid was where he was, but it was a rather empty street aside from the occasional car rolling past. 

He looked back at MK who had crossed his legs under him and was sitting with a smile still on his face like it was just another chat in the noodle shop. 

“Not to be invasive,” Pigsy started haltingly, “but… is there a reason you’re sitting in an alleyway at--” he glanced at his watch, “--11:24 in the evening?” 

“Not really,” MK shrugged. Pigsy waited, but he didn’t offer any more after that, just sitting and looking at him with his usual genuine smile. 

The kid was wearing his orange jacket, but it really didn’t look like it was thick enough to keep him warm. His ears and nose were already looking pink from the night’s chill. 

“It’ll get colder later,” he remarked, glancing down down the street, but looking at him cautiously out of the corner of his eye. 

MK huffed a little laugh at that, dropping his eyes to look at the ground, fiddling with his fingers with a small smile. “Yeah, I know.” 

He knew. Which implied he’d spent the night in an alley at least once before. 

Worried didn’t even _begin_ to cover what Pigsy was feeling. MK was a good kid. A little eccentric and loud at times, but kind and genuine and way too young to be alone in an alleyway at 11:24pm. 

He wasn’t going to ask. If MK wanted to tell him, he would. 

Pigsy looked at him and MK held his gaze for a moment before dropping his eyes again and going back to fiddling with his fingers.

He waited for a couple more seconds, watching him, then turned away. 

“Come on,” Pigsy said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “My apartment floor is hard as rocks, but it’s warmer than an alleyway. I’ve got an extra sleeping bag you can use.” 

MK’s head shot up and he looked at him in startled surprise. He shook his head, snapping out of his surprise and looked up at him in awe. “Really?” 

“Yeah,” Pigsy said gruffly. “Now come on, before I change my mind.” He started down the street again, not waiting for his response. 

He heard MK scramble to his feet, and stumble out of the alley behind him, hurrying to catch up. He shoved his hands into his pockets, almost as if to mirror him when he reached him. 

The kid could probably learn a thing or two about streets smarts. He couldn’t have been living in the alley for very long if he just agreed to follow somebody he didn’t know very well to their apartment. Pigsy didn't want to think about what would have happened to him if he hadn’t come along. It was a melancholy thought to imagine the kid suddenly disappearing one day and never seeing him at the shop again. He probably would never have even questioned his absence aside from a passing thought. 

They walked mostly in silence, and whenever Pigsy glanced beside him he was greeted by the sight of MK smiling with a slight bounce in his step as he looked around at the signs and buildings with bright wonder-filled eyes like he’d never seen them lit up in the dark before. 

They reached Pigsy’s apartment not long after and it took him a moment of fumbling with his keys before he got the door open and they could head inside. 

He kicked his shoes off and flipped the light on so they could actually see. 

His apartment was fairly small; he bought it only having himself in mind so it made sense. It was a mostly open floor plan, the entrance, living room and kitchen all in the same square of space without any walls separating them. There was a small T.V that he never used and, in front of it, a battered green couch a friend had given him a few years back. There was an empty pizza box on the floor next to it that Tang had probably left there. He’d have to talk to him about actually cleaning up after himself, though he doubted the man would actually take him seriously. 

Speaking of Tang, the sleeping bag on the couch was currently empty, which told him he hadn’t come back for the night. Nothing out of the ordinary; sometimes Tang was away for a couple of days. Pigsy didn’t bother asking him where he went, it wasn’t any of his business really. 

He padded over to the kitchen, dropping his keys on the counter and opening the small fridge, pushing his exhaustion to the side for the time being. He pulled out a few of the scarce items inside it and set to work making something. He didn’t know the last time the kid had eaten, but it was probably safe to say he was hungry, if only from sitting out in the cold for so long. 

“My usual parasite isn’t here, so you can take the couch,” Pigsy told him as he turned on the tap to fill up a small pot with water before placing it on the stove and turning the heat on. “I’ll get you a different sleeping bag though, I dunno where Tang’s been.” 

“Do you two live together?” MK asked as he entered the kitchen, socked feet padding against the tiled floor, and Pigsy glanced back to see him looking around the apartment with the same awe he’d had outside. 

“That would imply he helps pay the rent,” he grunted turning away and going back to rinsing off the few vegetables he’d found. “He just sleeps on the couch and bothers me all day at the noodle shop.” 

MK laughed at that, pulling a chair out and plopping down at the table like he’d done it a million times before, looking completely at home despite never having been there before. 

Pigsy worked on chopping the vegetables as they talked a little more about Tang; MK retrieved the pizza box and folded it for recycling, and around fifteen minutes later Pigsy had a bowl of steaming soup, which he placed in front of the kid, who looked almost startled, like he hadn’t expected it to be for him. Only more reason to give it to him really. 

“Eat that,” Pigsy ordered him, tossing him a spoon on his way out of the room. “I’m gonna find your sleeping bag.” He left before he had a chance to respond, heading out of the room and into the hallway. 

The bathroom was to the left and his bedroom was to the right. He turned right and pushed inside his small room, stepping over a pile of unwashed laundry before making it to his closet and pulling it open. He rooted through it for a few minutes before finding a musty smelling sleeping bag. He didn’t bother closing the closet door before leaving and headed down the hall with the bag and a pillow in his arms. 

When he entered the kitchen he was just in time to see MK devour the rest of the soup, slurping up a noodle and looking a lot warmer and sleepier. 

“Just put the dishes on the counter,” Pigsy said as he walked over to the couch, kicking Tang’s sleeping bag and pillow off before dropping MK’s on the cushions. “I’ll get to them later.” 

“I can wash them,” MK offered, as he stood up a little wobbly. 

“No,” Pigsy said, gathering up Tang’s sleeping bag in his arms. “I’ll do them tomorrow. Bedtime now.” Ordinarily he wouldn’t have turned down his offer to wash the dishes, but it was late and the kid was looking a few steps away from simply falling asleep on his feet, he didn’t need him accidentally breaking the bowl. 

MK set the dishes on the counter without protest. 

“Bathrooms down the hall to the left,” Pigsy told him as MK made his way over to the couch, yawning. “My bedroom’s to the right. Knock if you need anything.” 

“Kay,” MK nodded, rubbing his eyes.

Pigsy hid his own yawn behind the sleeping bag in his arms as MK fell onto the couch. 

“G’night, kid,” Pigsy said, heading out of the room. 

“Night.” 

He flicked the light off on his way out, then padded quietly down the hall, dropping the sleeping bag and pillow in the pile of dirty laundry to take care of later after entering his room before sitting on the edge of his bed. 

It took him a long time to fall asleep.

  
  
  
  
  


____________________________

  
  
  
  


MK was gone when he woke up. 

The dishes were done, and, other than the sleeping bag that was folded neatly and placed on the end of the couch with the pillow stacked on top of it, there was no sign the kid had ever been there. 

He wasn’t surprised honestly. He was never really one to stick around either, but he almost thought he would have lingered for breakfast. Must’ve just been getting used to Tang’s freeloading. He grabbed his keys off the counter before slipping on his shoes and heading out to pick up the shipment that he’d been waiting for. 

  
  
  


The day passed, things going a lot smoother than the one before, but he remained distracted. He wondered how long the kid had been sleeping in the alley, and what he was planning to do when it got too cold to do that. 

Tang was back in his usual seat, chattering like he’d never left and Pigsy ignored him, but not really. 

There was a steady stream of customers for most of the day and he was busy right until closing time. He glanced down the alleyway on his way home, but there was no sign of the kid. Hopefully that meant that he’d found a place to stay. 

Tang was already snoring on the couch, by the time he got home, headless of the fact that his sleeping bag was missing, Pigsy found a spare blanket to throw over him until he was able to get a load of laundry done. He then retrieved the blanket and replaced it with Tang’s sleeping bag.

No one knocked on the apartment door before he went to bed, but he left out the other newly washed sleeping bag just in case. 

  
  
  
  


___________

  
  
  
  
  


He finished the order and turned to see MK as the next person in line, shifting on his feet and looking a little worse for wear but still managing to give him a smile despite the exhaustion in his eyes. Pigsy chose not to react to seeing him after two weeks of nothing, not wanting to scare him off and nodded a greeting which seemed to take a weight off the kid’s shoulders and his smile grew a little easier. Pigsy wasn’t going to read too much into that relief. 

The familiar clatter of coins against his counter accompanied the kid’s order; just a dumpling this time. Pigsy glanced down at the change that only made up about two dollars; not enough for the noodles that he usually got, but enough for a small dumpling. 

“You want a job?” he asked bluntly. 

MK looked up from his change, startled. “Huh?” 

Pigsy had thought about it a lot the last two weeks and had given up trying to dismiss the idea. He could use the help and well… it was likely the kid could too. 

Pigsy turned away, busying himself with plating up the dumpling, maybe taking a little longer than usual to do so. “I’ve been thinking about hiring somebody to work here. Things are getting pretty busy and you didn’t steal anything from my apartment so I’m gonna assume that you’re at least mildly trustworthy. I’ve got a room upstairs you could use if you wanted to stay closer to the shop so it’s easier to help open it in the morning.” He turned back to see MK staring at him and placed the bowl with a single dumpling in front of him. “Eat your dumpling and come talk to me after things die down in here a bit if you’re interested.” He then turned to the next customer, calling them forward and effectively dismissing the kid. 

MK looked like he wanted to say something but was forced out of the way as the line moved forward and he scrambled to grab his bowl. Pigsy watched him out of the corner of his eye as he headed over to his usual spot in the corner. A good spot to see everything going on in the shop while having walls behind him so nothing could sneak up on him, and close enough to the door that he could slip out easily. He wasn’t sure the kid even realized he was sitting in that particular place. MK shoved the dumpling in his mouth before he’d even sat down and slipped into his seat, placing the empty bowl in front of him.

Pigsy’s attention was diverted to the line and he went back to taking orders and making noodles, only glancing over to check on the kid every few minutes to see if he was still there. 

The stream of customers died down about an hour later and Pigsy finished drying off his hands, hanging the towel in its usual place before turning to where MK was standing at the counter, shifting on his feet, empty bowl placed in front of him. He tensed a little as Pigsy approached, shoulder’s hiking up to his ears, and Pigsy slid the bowl out of the way, folded his arms and leaned over top of the counter, fixing him in a look. 

“If you’re staying upstairs I’ll take it out of your pay, and you can’t be late or lazy if you’re working here.” 

MK stared at him for a moment before breaking into a smile and nodding furiously. “Yup, okay, for sure, yup, yessir,” he saluted, looking determined. 

“No being late,” Pigsy said, eyes narrowed. 

“No being late,” MK agreed. 

“No slacking off.” 

“No slacking off.” The kid almost looked excited now, bouncing on his heels and attempting to bite back a beaming smile unsuccessfully. 

Pigsy looked at him for a moment more, before turning away. “Alright. You start work tomorrow. I expect you to be up and ready by seven so I can give you some training and show you how things work. We open at nine. Be here after closing time tonight so I can give you a key. ” 

“Really!?” MK practically exploded, breathless and beaming in a way that practically knocked the sanity out of Pigsy’s brain. 

He shook his head and fixed him in a glare, just so he knew it wasn’t his puppy-dog eyes that were convincing him. “Yes, really. Now quit clogging my counter unless you’re gonna order something else, I got more customers waiting.” 

“Right!” MK exclaimed, jumping slightly. “Yeah, I’ll just head out--yeah!” He stumbled away from the counter, tripping over his own feet and making Pigsy huff and shake his head. He turned back waving before he’d even gotten four steps away, still beaming. “I’ll be back!” 

Pigsy raised an unimpressed eyebrow. “You better be.” 

MK grinned, completely undeterred by Pigsy’s scowl and practically bounced out of the shop, pushing the door open and spinning around to avoid walking into someone. “Sorry!” Pigsy heard his muffled apology, then the kid was racing down the sidewalk and out of sight with more energy than he seemed to know what to do with.

Pigsy could only shake his head, more fondly then he meant to and go back to looking after his shop. 

  
  
  
  
  


MK was waiting outside when Pigsy finished closing up. 

He was bouncing on his heels, occasionally glancing up and down the street like his attention kept being grabbed by something new every three seconds. 

Pigsy didn’t comment on his lack of possessions and grunted at him to follow him. MK scrambled after him into the shop. His shoes were starting to fall apart, Pigsy couldn’t help but notice. 

The stairs creaked on their way up and Pigsy pushed open the door, kicking an unused box out of the way before flicking on the light. 

It wasn’t a huge room, but it was reasonably sized, albeit a little dusty. He’d have to take a day to actually come up and dust it out. Or the kid could probably do that, seeing as it was his room now. Pigsy had at least had the foresight to bring a sleeping bag and drop a mattress on the floor a few days back, just in case the kid ended up coming back to the noodle shop, and he was glad he’d prepped for his possible spontaneous decision. 

MK looked around the room like it was a lot more than the dimly lit, dusty, box filled space that it was as Pigsy fished the spare key out of his pocket. 

“Key,” Pigsy said, holding it out. 

MK jumped a little at his abrupt speaking and turned to accept it, fumbling slightly and nearly dropping it, but managing to wrap his fingers around it properly in the end with a triumphant sound. 

“I'm the middle of clearing this place out,” Pigsy said, pushing another box out of the way with his foot. “So you’re going to have to be okay with the mess for a bit.” 

“It’s perfect,” MK said breathlessly. 

Pigsy turned to look at him where he was standing amidst the boxes, small silver key clutched in his hands, with his worn orange jacket and even more worn shoes, looking at the room like the walls were imbued with magic, and not plaster and cheap paint. 

He looked at Pigsy with a beaming smile. “It’s perfect,” he said again, like he might’ve missed it the first time. 

“Mattress on the floor over there,” Pigsy said, turning away instead of responding to him. “Sleeping bag somewhere over in the boxes by the window.” He could hear the way MK nodded furiously behind him. “You got a phone?” 

MK’s smile faltered for the first time, before coming back a little sheepish as he shrunk back. “Um… no?” 

“S’fine,” Pigsy said, rubbing his face. “Not a big deal if you’re staying here.” 

Kid was gonna need a phone. Pigsy added it to the mental list he was compiling in his brain. Phone, shoes, probably a new headband since the one he was wearing just looked like he’d torn it from a shirt--considering he hadn’t brought a bag with him, it was probably safe to say they’d need to go clothes shopping too, and Pigsy would need to see about getting him a fake ID just in case, depending on his age, but all that could wait. One thing at a time. 

“Seven,” Pigsy reminded him as he headed to the door. 

“Seven, yup!” MK nodded furiously again. “Got it!” His bright, beaming smile was back and Pigsy ignored it. “Thank you!” 

“Uh huh,” Pigsy grumbled back as he headed down the stairs. 

He made sure to lock up on his way out, looking up at the light coming from the window above his shop for a moment before heading down the sidewalk, hands shoved into his pockets. He stopped at one of the midnight convenience stores on his way home and picked out a piece of material that was long enough for the kid to use as a headband. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


______________

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Who’s the kid?” Tang asked, watching as MK scrambled to gather up dishes from the tables. “Did you adopt someone while I was gone?” He raised his eyebrow, a clear teasing look in his eyes as his lips twitched

“No. Shut up.” Pigsy said shortly as he chopped the vegetables with maybe more force than usual. “He’s my new employee. Needed help in the shop and he’s acceptable; doesn’t complain.” 

Tang raised an eyebrow. “Help in the shop huh?” 

Pigsy scowled at him, really disliking the knowing look on his face and narrowed his eyes challengingly. “Yes.” 

“Hey, Kid,” Tang called before Pigsy could stop him, turning to where MK was busy gathering up dishes from the empty tables, making him look up when he heard his name. “Where are you staying?” 

“Oh!” MK said, brightening. “Pigsy’s letting me stay upstairs! And he got me this headband! He said he didn’t want me accidentally tripping over anything if my old one broke!”

And just like that Pigsy’s fate was sealed. 

“No kidding,” Tang said with a grin. “Thanks, Kid.” 

“I’m MK!” 

“Thanks MK.” 

Tang turned back to him, resting his chin in his palm, with a smirk. “Needed help, huh?” 

Pigsy scowled at him and turned away. “Yes. I did. It’s been getting busy here.” 

“Uh huh.” 

Pigsy grumbled under his breath about what a pain he was as he worked on the noodles. 

“You’re a good person, Pigsy,” Tang said suddenly, making him look up. 

Pigsy stared at him for a moment, Tang smiling at him, with his chin propped in his hands and then scowled again, slamming the bowl of noodles he’d been working on down in front of him. “Shut up and eat your noodles,” he growled. “And you better pay this time.” 

Tang just laughed like he’d told an amazing joke and accepted the bowl, smiling as he slurped up the first bite. 

There was a crash that probably came from MK if the yelped “ _Sorry! My bad!_ ” that came after was anything to go by and Pigsy set down his knife long enough to massage his eyes for a moment. 

“I told you not to break anything!” he yelled into the shop. 

“Sorry! I tripped!” 

He actually sounded guilty and there was a wobble in his voice that was more distressed than Pigsy was prepared for and he sighed, grabbing the dustpan and broom on his way out of the kitchen. 

“Don’t move. I’m bringing the broom.” Then upon seeing MK’s watery eyes added: “Relax kid, I’m not gonna fire you for one broken plate, pull yourself together.” 

  
  
  
  
  
  


________________

  
  
  
  
  


Pigsy ignored Tang’s smirk when MK danced around the shop the next day with minimal tripping, a new pair of sneakers, size eight and a half, tied securely onto his feet. 

  
  
  
  
  


_________________

  
  
  
  
  
  


When MK had asked if he could bring a friend to the shop, Pigsy wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but the loud smiling girl in front of him certainly hadn’t been it. 

Her clothes were nice, the kind that not many could afford and Pigsy narrowed it down to her belonging to one of three rich families that had kids in the city. Judging by the green and dragon themed phone it wasn’t hard to pick from there. How MK had managed to run into her, let alone make friends with her was beyond him. 

Or maybe it wasn’t so unbelievable, he thought as he watched the kid excitedly show Mei around the noodle shop. Kid was stupidly easy to like. 

“This is Pigsy!” MK introduced them when they finally reached him. “He’s my boss! Pigsy, this is Mei!” 

“Nice to meet you!” Mei said with a smile which Pigsy filed as one of the top five most terrifying things he’d ever seen in his life, and he’d seen a lot; too much at this point probably 

“Pleasure,” Pigsy said with the same type of smile right back. He turned to MK. “You wanna grab a pack of noodles from the back for me?” 

“Sure!” MK chirped brightly. “Be right back Mei!” He bounced to the back, humming to himself as he went. 

Pigsy waited until he was out of earshot before turning to the girl in front of him and crossing his arms, giving her a skeptical look. 

She gave him one right back. “You into child labour?” 

“You think he would have accepted help if he felt like a charity case?” 

She blinked. 

They looked at each other.

Mei narrowed her eyes, Pigsy looked back, completely unfazed. She was worried about him. Good. Meant she actually cared about the kid. 

MK returned from the back, holding the pack of noodles triumphantly. “I got them!” He paused looking back and forth between the two of them, arm lowering. “Is… everything okay?” 

“Peachy,” Pigsy said, giving Mei one last look before grabbing the package out of MK’s hand. “Now go do whatever it is you’re doing, shop opens in ten minutes, I want you down here--” 

“--on time!” MK nodded with a grin. “Yup!” He grabbed Mei’s hand and pulled her towards the stairs. “Come on! I wanna show you my room!” 

Pigsy felt Mei’s eyes on him for a moment before the two were racing upstairs. 

MK was down on time and Mei waved goodbye, giving Pigsy a real beaming smile that nearly knocked him off his feet before she left the noodle shop with a bounce in her step. 

Pigsy just shook his head and went back to noodle prep. 

  
  
  
  
  


_______________

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


“Stop,” Pigsy said as MK hugged him tightly, new phone clutched tightly in his hand. “I’m only doing this so you don’t have to borrow mine every time you make deliveries.” 

His excuses didn’t dampen MK’s massive, beaming smile in the slightest. “Mei!” MK screeched after releasing him. “I can text you now!” 

“It’s for work purposes!” Pigsy yelled after him as the kid raced out of the kitchen area to show his best friend. “Don’t use up all my data plan texting!” 

“Work purposes, huh?” Tang said smugly from where he sat at the counter, watching the way the two kids beamed excitedly as they exchanged numbers. 

“Shut up,” Pigsy told him. 

  
  
  
  


________________

  
  
  
  
  


Mei showed up around closing time, shoulders a little tense and quieter than usual. It was late, but Pigsy let her in anyways, dropping a steaming bowl of noodles in front of her and letting her wait for MK to be done washing dishes. 

She scrolled through her phone, blinking rapidly every few minutes, brow furrowing. She wasn't’ wearing her jacket, which likely meant she’d left in a hurry and her eyes were a little red. She shivered when the AC kicked in and Pigsy excused himself to root through a closet and grab a slightly suspicious smelling blanket, which he threw over her shoulders when he got back, making her look up at him in startled surprise. 

“Eat your soup,” he told her gruffly, turning away so he didn’t have to keep looking at her small smile. “Don’t want to hear the kid’s whining if you catch a cold,” he grumbled. 

“Of course,” she said, and he could _hear_ the smile in her voice. 

He ignored her and directed MK to an air mattress that was stored in one of the boxes upstairs before leaving, just in case. 

  
  
  
  
  


_______________

  
  
  
  
  


Mei surprised him with a hug before she was running out the door with MK and Pigsy stared after her, in startled confusion. 

“Adopted another one, I see,” Tang said from behind his noodles. 

Pigsy didn’t even bother acknowledging him this time, he just scowled, and vigorously chopped the vegetables in front of him. 

  
  
  
  
  


_____________

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Yelling brought Pigsy to the front of the shop where MK was shrinking back from an angry customer, an empty serving platter clutched tightly to his chest. 

“I--I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to--” 

“Are you incompetant?” she snarled at him, voice raised loud enough that everyone in the shop could hear and some were watching, either annoyed or uneasy, but Pigsy was mainly focused on the way MK looked close to tears. “What kind of an idiot do you have to be to screw up something as simple as--” 

“What seems to be the problem here?” Pigsy asked sharply, stepping in between them and firmly placing himself in front of MK, taking satisfaction in the way she was forced to take a step back away from him. 

The woman flailed for a moment before turning on him. “Are you the manager?” 

Pigsy folded his arms. “I am.” 

“Your employee is an incompatant, clumsy oaf,” she snapped at him. “I--” 

“Get out of my shop.” 

She stopped, gaping for a solid four seconds before a look of outrage manifested onto her face. “Excuse me?” 

“If you had something productive to say I might listen, but if you intended to simply stand there and insult my employee I suggest you take your business elsewhere.” 

The woman was gaping again, eyes flicking between his impassive face and MK, who he could feel shrinking back and cowering behind him. She spluttered with outrage, red in the face before snatching her purse from her chair and storming out of the shop, throwing obscenities behind her. 

Pigsy waited until the door shut before turning and looking at MK who immediately dropped his eyes to the ground, still looking horribly guilty and a moment away from crying. He sighed. “Come on, kid.” 

MK followed after him, serving platter still clutched to his chest and Pigsy led him out of the front of the shop. There was nothing wrong with crying, but he figured the kid might not want an audience. 

Chatter started back up after they made it to the kitchen and Pigsy led MK to a spot in the back out of sight. 

“I’m sorry,” MK sniffed, wiping at his face, still not looking at him. 

“Not your fault, kid,” Pigsy told him firmly. “Sometimes you get people like that working customer service.” 

“You’re… not mad?” MK asked, finally looking at him, trembling a little. 

Pigsy abruptly felt like he wasn’t doing a very good job and looked away over at the sink. “No, kid. I’m not mad at you.” He turned away, heading back to the front of the kitchen. “Take five, okay?” He didn’t wait to see if MK would respond. 

He went back a minute later with a cup of water which he handed to the kid who was wiping his eyes. He accepted the glass and Pigsy returned to the front of the kitchen to let him drink it without him hovering over him. 

“You good?” he asked when MK made his way over to the counter and handed him the glass. 

“Yeah,” he said softly, nodding. He inhaled, shaking his head a little and squaring his shoulders. “I’m good.” 

“Tables four and seven,” Pigsy told him, setting two bowls on the counter. 

MK placed both bowls on the serving tray then hesitated. 

Pigsy raised an eyebrow at him. 

“Thanks, Pigsy,” he said with a small smile. 

Pigsy had the vague thought that he’d throw out a hundred customers if it meant making sure he kept smiling. 

“Whatever kid, I don’t pay you to thank me,” Pigsy forced out with a disgruntled expression. “Tables four and seven. Go.” 

MK’s face broke into a grin and he nodded before scurrying off to tables four and seven. 

Pigsy placed the glass next to the sink and watched MK gather up some used dishes from empty tables for a moment, just to make sure he wasn’t going to drop anything and definitely not to make sure he was actually okay, before going back to the noodles. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


________________

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Closing time had been an hour ago, and yet Pigsy was still inside his shop with the T.V on, playing a rerun of some show he’d never heard of, on a channel he’d never watch, looking at the candy he’d been handed with a healthy amount of suspicion. 

“It’s just a mint, Pigsy,” Mei laughed, at the look on his face from where she sat on the counter. 

“I told you to stop sitting on the counter,” Pigsy scowled back at her with narrowed eyes.

She crossed her legs and just smiled at him smugly like she knew he wouldn’t move her. He hated that she was right. 

“Oh! Oh!” MK yelled, nearly knocking over a table to grab the remote and turn up the volume. “I love this part!” 

Tang crunched his own mint, loud enough to be heard over the show and Pigsy sighed before popping his own mint into his mouth, letting the icy mint flavour sting his tongue as MK plopped down on the freshly swept floor in front of him, repeating the character on screen’s dialogue word for word. 

Mei swung her legs happily and Tang snuck a bowl of noodles from the microwave. Pigsy handed MK a mint wordlessly when he held up his hand, sparing him a quick “ _thanks_ ” before his attention was taken by the show in front of them again. 

The mint slowly dissolved in his mouth as MK laughed and leaned back against Pigsy’s legs, completely absorbed in the episode he’d clearly seen a hundred times before. His headband was coming loose and Pigsy fixed it almost without thinking, hands fumbling a little when he realized what he was doing. 

Tang smirked at him and Pigsy shot him a scowl before steadfastly crossing his arms across his chest. 

He still didn’t throw him out though. 

Pigsy sighed, slumping in his seat resignedly, gradually relaxing. 

Yeah. 

A big ol’ softie. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> HECK YEAH I'M WRITING ABOUT THIS NOW LMASDFAOIWEFLKAMDSF 
> 
> Pigsy's a really fun character to write lol 
> 
> I LOVE MK'S PROBABLY ANGSTY BACKSTORY ALSDKFMAOW;IEAKLSDF 
> 
> Started writing this after watching the pilot episodes, then got to episode four and realized that MK LIVING ABOVE THE NOODLE SHOP IS TOTALLY CANON AND I'VE NEVER FELT SO VALIDATED IN MY LIFE LKSMDAFOIWMF 
> 
> DROP ME A COMMENT BECAUSE I LOVE MK AND HIS FOUR DADS AND A BEST FRIEND WHO'D TEAR THE WORLD DOWN FOR HIM LKDFMAOIWFMKASD


End file.
